Updates to Bath Safety Equipment Authorization

Effective Oct. 1, 2023, the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) will fund bath safety equipment under the State Plan DME benefit instead of authorizing bath safety equipment through waiver case managers. This change means DME providers will now be able to bill for these services directly via the Medicaid web tool for South Carolina Healthy Connections Medicaid members who are enrolled in the Community Choices, HIV/AIDS, Mechanical Ventilator Dependent, Head and Spinal Cord Injury, Intellectual Disability/Related Disabilities and Community Supports waivers.

The home health final rule created a federal framework for defining medical equipment and appliances and determining which items can now be covered under the mandatory home health benefit offered under the State Plan instead of 1915(c) home and community-based waiver services. SCDHHS has determined that the bath safety equipment listed in the table below meets the definition for medical equipment and appliances that will be covered under the State Plan DME benefit. These services will require a prescription from the Healthy Connections Medicaid member’s physician and a completed certificate of medical necessity form. The form (DME 001) is available on the forms page of the DME Services provider manual. Pricing for DME State Plan services is located in the DME fee schedule. Information on the applicable co-pay of $3.40 is outlined in the copayment schedule.

Bath Safety Equipment Moving to State Plan

Provider Enrollment Requirement

Bath safety equipment providers that are not currently enrolled as a DME provider will be contacted directly by letter from SCDHHS beginning July 25, 2023, with further instructions for this transition.

Questions regarding the information contained in this bulletin should be submitted to medicaidwaiver@scdhhs.gov.

Thank you for your continued support of the South Carolina Healthy Connections Medicaid program.

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